After video footage allegedly showing her shooting another woman in a crowded Uber, Natalia Harrell is currently being tried in Florida for second-degree murder.

A petition was filed by a Florida mother for the release of an unborn baby, in a bizarre twist of events.

Natalia Harrell is currently in Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. She's currently being held without bond as she awaits trial for second-degree Murder. In a new court filing, Harrell's lawyer names Harrell's unborn baby as the petitioner. She now claims that the fetus should be released from custody, and that the mother of the baby-to-be has been clearly violated by the Constitutionally protected due process rights.

After video footage taken inside a crammed Uber showed Harrell allegedly pulling out a gun and firing at Borcela as the two were arguing, Harrell was arrested. Borcela was hit in the chest once and died from her injuries.

According to Harrell's lawyer, she claimed she was in "fear of her life" and her unborn child's life when she shot at the victim. They claim that the incident "threatened Ms. Harrell bodily injury." Her lawyer also stated that Harrell's client did not have competent counsel to defend her when she was issued a warrant for "no bond".

According to the filing, Harrell, who is 8 months old, has been accused of receiving "inadequate prenatal treatment" for her unborn baby. Officials failed to take her to her doctor's appointments and provide prenatal vitamins despite her repeated requests.

Harrell's lawyer argues that an unborn child under Florida law should be treated like a "person" and Harrell is pushing for Harrell to be released because "the UNBORN CHILD [has not committed any crime nor has the State of Florida or Miami Dade State attorney made any allegations that the UNBORN CHILD had committed a criminal offence."

It states: "UNBORN CHILD requests immediate release from custody and detention of Respondents to: (1) receive the necessary medical care from Jackson Hospital's OB-GYN physician; (2) avoid entering the concrete floor of a prison cell without the medical care, treatment, and supervision of competent nurses and physicians; (3) avoid being subjected to disparate or adverse treatment by Respondents and (4) avoid being placed at the county jail detention center that exposes UNBORN CHILD for serious bodily injury and death

James Reyes, Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Director, responded to the filing by stating that Harrell had attended "at least four obstetrician visits outside of the jail and, most importantly, refused to attend one fifth."

They claim she has been offered prenatal vitamins every day for months but that she has not accepted them on "more than one occasion" or allowed nurses to take her fetal heart rate. She will also be taken to an infirmary when she is 36 weeks old and transferred to a hospital for her to give birth.

Law&Crime received a statement from the Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department stating that they have partnered with Jackson Health System to provide healthcare for inmates under their custody. They also stated that they are committed to making sure all inmates receive timely and professional medical care and any other treatment as necessary.

The statement stated that "we are undertaking a complete review of the health care received and offered to ensure that all prenatal care in our custody is appropriate."

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Title: Fetus Seeks Jail Release for Pregnant Mom Charged in Uber Murder Caught on Video
Sourced From: toofab.com/2023/02/22/fetus-seeks-jail-release-pregnant-mom-charged-uber-murder/
Published Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2023 17:39:55 +0000

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